Woiithington scbanton



(No Model.) 7 r W. SGRANTON.

TOBAGGO CUTTER.

Patented A fay UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WORTHINGTON SCRANTON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO SARGENT & 00., OF SAME PLACE.

TOBACCO-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,387, dated April 11, 1882,

I Application filed January 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WoR'rHINecroN Scann- TON, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Tobacco-Cutters; and 1 do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a side view; Fig. 2, a top or plan view; Figs. 3 and 4, detached views.

This invention relates to a cutter for cutting plug-tobacco, and particularly to those which are designed to'give a shear-like cut.

Cutters of this class have been madein which thecutter is hung to one end of a pair of links at points distant from each other, the opposite end of the links'hinged in the frame, and then a lever applied which will raise and lower the cutter, the links giving a parallel downward but swinging movement to the cutter. This construction makes so many joints that while for a time the cutter .gives good work it soon becomes loosened in its joints, because of the wear and strain brought thereon, so much so as to render the construction impracticable. To avoid the wear incidental to so many joints, the cutter has been arranged upon curved guides-that is to say, on the frame there are made two guides, curved downward and forward, with corresponding grooves in the cutter-stock, so that the cutter would follow these curvedguides; thentheleverhungintheframe with an arm extending into a socket in the cutter-stock, the curve of the guides being such that the downward andadvance movement of the knife will follow the path of the end of the arm which works in the socket of the cutterstock. This construction, however, is very difficult to produce, because of the peculiar curve necessary to be given to the guides in order that the cutter-stock may so follow the swinging of the lever. To obviate this difficulty, straight diagonal guides have been arranged with the cutter-stock set upon them, so as to move downward and forward in a direct diagonal path; then the lever connected to the cutv ter-stock by a link; but this construction multiplies the joints, so that the parts soon become loose and shackly.

To obviate these difficulties is the object of my invention; and it consists in arranging the cutter upon a pair of parallelinclined guides, combined with a lever hung in the frame above, one arm of which engages the cutter-stock in a socket of corresponding shape to the end of the engaging-arm, but of so much larger. extent as to permit the play between the arm and the cutter-stock necessary in order that the arm may follow its natural swinging movement, while the cutter-stock will move diagonally.

A represents the bed in which the support- 6; ingt'rameisarra-nged. Thisframeisbestmade in two parts, B C, divided in a vertical longitudinal line, and cast with a recess, D, in the top, through which the handled lever E works, the lever being hung upon the frame bya pivot, F, introduced through the frame, or may be cast in the frame, this pivot in this case being the screw, which not onlyvserves as a pivot for the lever, but also to secure the two parts of the frame together. The frame is constructed of an inverted U-shape, the legs so as to be secured to the bed, the space between the legs for the introduction of the tobacco or thing to be cut. The frame is provided with guides H, parallel with each other, but diagonal or inclined to the bed, .as seen in Fig. These guides may be, as there shown, simply inclined ribs, which may be made in the process of casting.

I is the cutter stock or holder,'which is cast with recesses L, inclined corresponding to the ribs H, and so as to set onto said ribs, and, being moved up and down thereon, will have imparted to it a longitudinal movement according to the extent of. the incline of the ribs. 0 This holder is seen in Fig.4 reversed to show the inclined recesses L. In the upper edge of this cutter-holder is a seat, P, into which the lower end, B, of the arm E works. This end R of the arm is cylindrical in shape, and the 5 seat P for it is of corresponding shape, but must be of larger diameter to permit the required play of the end of the arm. To this holder the cutter S, which is made of thin steel, is attached, and so as to move with it. When 10o the lever is raised, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 1, it lifts the cutter because of its connection with the end of the arm E, and in so hit in g the cutter moves longitudinally corresponding to the incline of the guides. As this incline is straight, while the path of the end of the arm is curved, it follows that there will be some play required between the end of the arm and its seat in the end of the holder. Hence it is that I make that seat somewhat larger than the cylindrical end Rot" the arm. Forcing the lever downward, the cutter returns in the same diagonal path in which it rose, giving to it both adowuward andlongitudinalmovement,which produces a shear-like cut necessary to good work in such instruments.

By the arrangement of the straight diagonal guides and the loose joint between the lever and the cutter-stock I avoid the joints necessaryin the previous link-connection, and also avoid the difficulties in construction of the curved guides with the arm extending into a close-fitting socket, as before described, and the difliculties incident to that construction.

By making the supportingframe in two parts, divided longitudinally, and introducing the lever and the outer cutter-holder between them, the parts are all held in place by the devices which secure the two parts of the supporting-frame together. The cutter-holder is arranged upon its guides on one part, the lever then set in place, and the second part of the supporting-frame placed thereon. The screw F, introduced through one part through the lever into the other part, secures all together, and thus avoids much of the labor which would be required in fitting and holding the cutter in its place upon the guides; but the frame may be made in a single piece with the inclined guides dovetailed in shape and the inclined slots in the cutter correspondingly shaped, and so that the cutter-holder will work upon the outside of the frame.

I claim 1. The combination of the supporting-frame constructed with parallel inclined guides, and a cutter-stock carrying the knife, and arranged to move up and down in a diagonal path on said inclined guides, with a lever hung in the frame above, the said lever provided with an arm extending downward and working loosely in a seat provided for it in the cutter-holder, whereby the said cutter is permitted to move in a diagonal path, while the arm of the lever moves in the arc of a circle, substantially as described.

2. The inverted-U-shaped frame, divided longitudinally and constructed with parallel inclined guides, combined with the cutter arranged to move in a diagonal path on said in clined guides within said frame, and the lever, also hung within said frame, and constructed with an arm extending into a seat in the cutter-stock and working loosely therein, the said two parts of the frame secured together to hold the cutter and lever in place, snbstantially as described.

WORTHINGTON SORANTON.

Witnesses:

W. H. DURCI-IELL, UHAs. L. BALDWIN. 

